


the observatory

by phendrifts



Series: tales from the farlands [1]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Post-Game, Xenoblade Chronicles Spoilers, light light light sharla/melia content, minor future connected spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:47:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25197187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phendrifts/pseuds/phendrifts
Summary: a few months after new colony 9's construction, high entia and machina build an observatory.
Series: tales from the farlands [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825357
Kudos: 20





	the observatory

All the colony residents knew that Shulk wouldn’t get a night of sleep after the observatory opened, so it was a surprise to no one when the blonde boy would occasionally disappear for hours on end when it was first built. Though Machina and High Entia scientists frequented the observatory for research, Shulk seemed to be enchanted by something else entirely. He came to do research as well, but he would stay many hours after public closing hours to watch the stars purely out of love and awe of the expanse that had opened up to him.

At first, colonists would claim they saw Reyn enter the building late at night, coming out a few minutes later carrying a sleeping figure back to the residential district.

Many weeks later, however, they would say that though the boy was always seen entering at night, they never saw him leave. Many colony children passed around stories that the ‘observatory’s monster’ got him, too. 

Fiora was the next to go-- trouble was never far behind those two, and the headstrong girl wasn’t, either. The colony trifecta began to spend entire weekends in the observatory, as it not only became a place for discovery and knowledge, but a break for the three after tirelessly working to support the colony month after month. 

(The trio were older now, they stood a little straighter, talked a little louder, but there was always something about the observatory that brought out their younger, immature selves. Perhaps the observatory invoked memories of stargazing nights on colony rooftops.)

Though it took some convincing, Sharla would take the High Entia empress down from the Bionis’ shoulder every now and again with her to visit the childhood friends at the observatory. Though reconstruction of Alcamoth on the Bionis’ shoulder had been largely completed, Sharla stayed behind with Melia, aiding her as not only a Homs advisor, but a close friend. As the two shared strolls in the gardens of the Imperial Villa, Sharla would see Melia glance longingly at New Colony 9 thousands of feet below them. Sharla knew a part of Melia would always long for that sense of freedom they shared on their adventures, but the silent empress would never admit it. 

As usual, it would seem as if Riki was always the last one to hear about what his old pals were up to. Riki wasn’t one to care about the vastness of space and therefore, the observatory, but what he was good at was listening. In the wee hours of the night, Shulk would explain his new findings to Riki, often the only one awake at the time. As the party talked into the night, Riki noticed that Dunban was strangely missing. Although Fiora had apparently asked him many times to come, Dunban never showed. 

Even though everyone was more than content with these small meetings every weekend, Riki could feel that Dunban’s absence was felt by all. He knew who he had to talk to.

* * *

“Riki know! Riki know you see Shulk and friends go to big dome house! So why Dundun not join them?”

Dunban was never one for office work. He had the heart of a soldier, he longed to do the heavy lifting around the colony, to help with disputes among feuding neighbors, and he was often whisked around New Colony 9 to help with all sorts of odd jobs. Though it wasn’t spoken, everyone looked up to Dunban as a born leader. 

And, although it was known to a smaller group of people, Dunban had always been very emotional-- Riki knew that better than anyone. Which is why it was so strange that Dunban was never present for these observatory get-togethers. While Fiora complained that Dunban ‘said he was swamped with work, and he really didn’t have time for leisure nowadays’, Riki knew that there had to be more to the story.

“If I’m being honest, Riki, it’s because…” his voice trailed off as the two walked alone down the residential district. “I guess they’ve just all grown up, now.” 

“Riki not understand.” 

The two reached the dock at the end of the colony. Dunban sat over the edge, and Riki followed next to him.. “When we were travelling together, I always found a desire within myself to protect everyone. But those days are gone now, and-” he gestured vaguely to the colony with his hand. “I have my own duties. To the colony.”

“Dundun silly! Dundun think friends not see Dundun as daddypon?”

The man chuckled. “I guess you could see it that way.”

“But Dundun never  _ just  _ daddypon. Dundun friend now, too! Even though Dundun no longer need to protect friends, friends still want Dundun around because Dundun kind! Dundun may not be daddypon, but Dundun is still bestest friend.”

Dunban smiled at the Heropon. “You really think so?”

Riki grinned back. “Riki know! Riki know friends love Dundun as daddypon, but love Dundun as himself too.” 

“It seems like I am once again in your debt, mighty Heropon. You always manage to surprise me with your wisdom.” 

* * *

The children began passing around new stories about how the observatory had a ghost that only came at night, but the adults in the colony knew the truth. The residents of New Colony 9 would never fail to see an unlikely group of friends spend the night there after every long day spent on reconstruction or resolving colony disputes. 

Eventually, Homs, Nopon, High Entia, and Machina began building a park around the observatory, and everyone began calling the hill the observatory stood on “Heroes' Respite”. 

Though to the heroes of Bionis, it was, while left unspoken, home. 


End file.
